At present, I have no reason to pick up a PS4 this fall. This is coming from the chap who has owned all three Playstation consoles and a PSP. This same fellow is desperately seeking a logical reason to own a PS Vita, like a lawyer defending a burglar caught red-handed on camera. Do they even make original Vita games anymore? At any rate, E3 may change my mind, naturally, but right now feels like the perfect year to own a PS3, not a PS4.

The Last of Us will be absolutely thrilling, the way the Uncharted series always is. It’s currently the game I’m most excited to play this year. As a side note, I wonder if Greg Miller will pen the review for that game. Beyond: Two Souls will likely push video game storytelling to another level, the way Heavy Rain did. Grand Theft Auto V looks to be the best one in the series. Dragon's Crown and Gran Turismo 6 are also releasing on the PS3 this fall. The list goes on and on.

A compelling reason not to buy a PS4 this year.

So, why do I need a PS4 this year when I have so many great current-gen titles to keep me throughout the year? Hell, I still have yet to play Bioshock: Infinite, which, based on impressions, already gets my vote for Game of the Year, the Devil May Cry reboot, Ni no Kuni or Tomb Raider.

It’s been said again and again but we all know this E3 must be all about the games. Give me Metal Gear Solid 5 or something like Uncharted 4 as a launch title and then we’ll talk. Sony’s consoles are gamers’ consoles and, with the PS3, this year illustrates this more than ever. I’m so excited about all the new PS3 titles that I won’t even have time to play anything PS4 is offering.

Don't get me wrong: I do plan to buy a PS4 eventually. Just not this year.

Of the two next-gen consoles, Xbox One is the only one offering something innovative, besides high quality graphics. Whether or not you actually care for it, the tech presented at the Xbox One Reveal event will give gamers fascinating ways to interact with their console. I want to Skype a friend while playing Halo 5 or look up the wiki guide when I’m stuck on a difficult part of a Quantum Break. That’s next-gen.

Here's hoping PS4 does something similar

So, come on Sony. Show me the money at E3. Or, better said, show me games I must have and I’ll show you my money. Just don’t charge me $600 again yeah?

I often wonder how the console climate would be different today had the PS3 released the same year as the 360 but also at a lower price. Perhaps Sony would have sustained the dominance it enjoyed the previous generation instead of eternally playing catch up. We’ll never know. But we do know that the Xbox One and PS4 will both release later this year. Microsoft will not get a year’s head start like the last round. Now, the question on everyone’s minds is which will release first. Okay, maybe not “the” question but one of them.

Does it really matter, though?

Duh, Microsoft. Now, would you kindly give us a date? At least a month?

I think not. Say the Xbox One releases late October while the PS4 follows in early November. By then, hardcore gamers and early adopters alike will have already decided which console they want to purchase based on loyalty, price, and launch titles. (Am I the only one hoping Metal Gear Solid 5 releases along side the PS4?) As Peter Molyneux mentioned in the latest episode of Xbox Unlocked podcast, the real battle begins next holiday season, when both consoles need to bring out the big guns.

Think about it. Last console generation, the original Gears of War, arguably 360’s first killer app, released the same year the PS3 did back in 2006, with Resistance one of its launch titles. Overall, critics agree the Gears series was superior to Resistance. That’s what happens when developers have an extra year to work with a console.

I’m a Sony fan (not to be confused with “fanboy”) myself but even I broke down and bought a 360 while waiting for the PS3. I bought Gears with the fantastic-looking Gears faceplate and console case. I was thrilled to play such a riveting, high quality title and, unfortunately, there simply wasn’t a similar experience to be had on the PS2 or PS3 at that time.

I still have a hard time identifying the Playstation 3’s first system-seller. I’d say Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, which came out in 2007, or Metal Gear Solid 4, which released the following year. Of course, I could totally be off the mark here. Let me know which game you think was the first “must have” on the PS3 in the comments section below. The point is these best-selling AAA games came out at least a year after the console’s launch. The last outstanding launch title was Halo. Unless you include Wii Sports, naturally.

This year’s console sales figures will be remarkable but next holiday season will be what sets the tone this generation. Let’s face it: the IGN fan is most likely going to buy an Xbox One or PS4 day one or soon after. It’s those killer games that will bring in the masses the year after. Then things will get interesting.

What do you think? What AAA games will come out on PS4 and Xbox One in 2014? Which ones do you want to see? Drop a line in the comments section below.